Conservation and the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities: looking forwards
As the world looks forwards to a vision of living in harmony with nature by 2050 (CBD, 2019), we can learn much by tracing the path that conservation science and practice have taken as we grapple with how the ownership, use and access rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities intersect with conservation. Oryx is a treasure trove in this respect, with a history of discourse on this topic. Its archives reveal pivotal moments that have contributed to an overarching move within conservation policy towards more sustained attention to human rights. Here we look back through the Oryx archives, to stimulate reflection on how conservation has engaged with human rights, how that has intersected with evolving global policy, and what we can learn from this history to ensure that human rights are better understood and placed at the centre of conservation policy and practice.
